Apparatuses for bottling liquids have been known from the prior art for a long time. Aspects of the disclosure are specifically described in relation to an apparatus for bottling multi-component beverages, which means for example beverages which are composed of a syrup and an aqueous medium. However, it is to be noted that the present disclosure may also be applied to other apparatus for bottling beverages and other liquids such as milk, juices, liquid refreshments or oils, and also to more viscous media.
In apparatus of this kind for bottling beverages, usually several flow measuring devices are used, which determine the flow rate of the respective component. Such flow measuring devices are sometimes susceptible to interference, and faults when measuring quantities will immediately lead to undesired mixtures of the beverage to be bottled. In particular in the case of liquids interspersed with particles, such flow measuring devices do frequently not work reliably.
From DE 10 2006 045 987 A1, a method for filling containers with a liquid product as well as a filling system are known. Here, at least two components of the product are mixed together. At least one of the components is supplied here using a flow meter in a manner in which both the filling quantity and the volume are controlled.
EP 1 362 825 B9 describes a rotary machine for filling containers. Here, a supply device for additives includes several pipes, with means for blocking the opening of the pipes being arranged along the pipes, in order to open and close the latter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,476 discloses a filling valve having two flows, with one supply channel being disposed within the other.
It may therefore be desirable to provide an apparatus and a method which allow a simplified filling of beverages into containers and preferably also a simplified overall operation of the system. Moreover, possibilities are to be provided in order to reduce the number of necessary measuring devices for determining the filling quantity.